The ghost of Deacon Blackfire returns, attempting to possess his only remaining blood relative as a means of resurrection. īetween their first encounter and the time of Eternal, the Deacon has taken over the body of Maxie Zeus, in attempt to regain entry into this world. Deacon Blackfire refuses multiple times, and his disillusioned army turns on him and appears to beat him to death. Batman is able to break the pipe he is chained to, and in a reversal of their confrontation in "The Cult," orders the Deacon to kill him to prove himself in front of his followers. Batman however, brought up the question of why Deacon Blackfire wouldn't kill him himself, if he was as powerful as he wanted his army to believe.
He attempted to do the same with Batman, keeping him chained and drugged in his basement for seven days and seven nights, but the Dark Knight's resiliency led to Deacon ordering his devotees to kill him. The Deacon had an army of devoted homeless and underprivileged, but he also kept many of them drugged under his control. In the same issue, flashbacks are shown of the previous time Batman encountered the Deacon. When Batwing and The Spectre (as Jim Corrigan) uncover the secret of the Asylum, both are captured by Blackfire and his demonic army. In this new timeline, Deacon Blackfire is an evangelist who is the center of the occult power permeating Arkham Asylum, with Joker's Daughter as his enforcer. In September 2011, The New 52 rebooted DC's continuity. Blackest Night Īs part of the Blackest Night event, Blackfire's corpse is reanimated by a black power ring and recruited to the Black Lantern Corps in Blackest Night: Batman #1 (October 2009). Blackfire's army turns on him and kills him. Batman refuses, and instead savagely beats Blackfire in front of his army. After a brutal search through the sewers, Batman confronts Blackfire, who demands that Batman kill him, making him a martyr. Batman eventually breaks his conditioning, but its aftereffects make it difficult for him to capture Blackfire. Blackfire captures and brainwashes Batman, temporarily making the Caped Crusader a member of Blackfire's cult, during which Batman breaks his cardinal rule of not killing. Blackfire uses this army to begin a violent war on crime, which escalates into him taking over the entire city, resulting in it being isolated from the rest of the country. He forms an army in the sewers beneath Gotham City, largely composed of the homeless. Blackfire is a conman and cult leader who may be over 100 years old. Regardless, those who accept his fanatical beliefs are convinced that the only path to true salvation is to join his “flock”.He first appeared in Batman: The Cult #1 (1988) and was created by Jim Starlin and Bernie Wrightson.ĭeacon Blackfire is the main antagonist in the four-issue miniseries, Batman: The Cult. According to Lieutenant James Gordon, “the cult-like devotion of his followers is cause for alarm, especially considering the angry and sometimes violent calls for ‘divine justice’ aimed at elected officials, businessmen, and private citizens.” Indeed, while the weekly sermon does provide some religious benefit to those seeking salvation, the overall message has become increasingly antagonistic. Remember what I say! I am speaking the truth… I call upon the people to follow me… follow me… follow me… or die!”įor nearly three months, authorities have kept a close eye on the infamous Deacon Blackfire as he delivers his fiery calls to action amongst a congregation of primarily homeless and poverty stricken followers. He hath separated me above all and promised me and my children their rightful place in the new kingdom. For the Lord hath anointed me with his scared oils… by His sacred hand. I am that hand of mercy… I am the messenger of truth.
The sword of divine justice is every moment brandished over their heads, and ‘tis nothing but the hand of arbitrary mercy, and God’s mere will, that holds it back. Divine justice says of the tree that brings forth such grapes of Sodom, “Cut it down, why cumbereth it in the ground”.
Yea, on the contrary, justice calls aloud for an infinite punishment of their sins. “They deserve to be cast into hell so that divine justice never stands in the way, it makes no objection against God’s using his power at any moment to destroy them.
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